More Monster Than Man
by Saffron465
Summary: In which Byleth leads Dimitri back to the light.


**A/N: Hi! I'm Saffron, and this is my first time writing for this fandom. I know this isn't how the actual game goes, but this was how I imagined it before I finished playing this scene. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it! 3**

The young boy I once favored has become a man I now fear.

I don't fear for my safety, but instead, I fear for his fleeting sanity.

I fear for the boy who is stuck inside that twisted mind, just begging to come out.

But he is trapped.

And I need to find a way to set him free once more.

Dimitri whirls around with an angry fire in his eyes. That's all that is there nowadays, no signs of the sapphire blue that was filled with sparks of life and joy.

Now they are the eyes of a soulless monster that does nothing but kill.

"I told you already, professor, that if you stand in my way, I will cut you down like a stalk of wheat. Must I say it again?"

I just stare at him, letting my gaze burn into his heart.

If his heart is still there.

"Yes, Dimitri, I remember."

I will myself to be filled with ice so that I can cool his raging fire.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Either leave or prepare to be struck down." I glare at him, narrowing my eyes in what I hope is an expression of anger.

"I will not leave until you have seen the light."

"Then I guess," he draws a steel lance and growls, "you'd better prepare for a fight."

I don't believe that he will kill me. But if Sothis were here, she would tell me to draw my blade.

"If besting you in a fight will let me talk, then I will do so." I draw the Sword of the Creator, and Dimitri stares at the glowing metal.

"A relic against a normal weapon. That's not fair," he clicks his toungue at me, and I switch the sword for a plain steel one. "Wise choice." He grins wolfishly and begins circling me.

I track his movements and follow using the steps that Jeralt taught me. I will not lose to him. I must fix this terrible mess that has been done to him.

He lunges forward while I am lost in thought and begins the fight. I match his strikes perfectly, dodging again and again. Using a maneuver I have not seen, he flips and spins until he is behind me. But luckily, I whirl around and deflect his fatal blow.

That would have been my spine, I think, and shudder. But there is no time to dwell on that terrifying fact for Dimitri is already one step ahead. He has grown much stronger since we last fought on the training grounds as a student and teacher.

There is no way I will beat him unless I do something he has not seen before.

_What would Jeralt do?_

Something strikes my mind and I remember a trick he taught me when I was young.

_Byleth, if you come across an opponent that you cannot beat, disarm their weapon and you will surely win._

My heart beats fast in my chest, and it roars in my ears as we fight.

But now I know what I must do.

I fling the sword out in front of me as if to strike Dimitri in his chest. As he goes to block it, I spin and hook the edge of my sword on his lance. It flies through the air and lands next to my foot.

He stands, frozen in shock for a second, but I use it to my advantage. I raise my sword in the air and bring it down on the lance with all of my rage and fear and strength.

The steel lance shatters.

Dimitri steps forward as if to fight with the now broken weapon, but I shove him to the ground.

He picks up a nearby rock and throws it at my head, but I manage to dodge and it only strikes the side of my head. I stagger back, but stay upright. I must end this. I kick him, hard, in the ribs, and he slides across the slick floor and smashes against the wall.

I stand over him, panting.

"Is this how it ends? And endless cycle of death against death?"

Dimitri says nothing, just stares at his broken lance.

"You once said to me that killing was not the way it should be. We should instead make peace and become allies. We should be good of heart and protect what we love."

"That was before I lost everything." He growls.

"No, it wasn't. The Dimitri I knew had suffered a great many losses. But even so, he believed in the promise of peace." I wipe the blood from my forehead on my sleeve. "I... no. We want that Dimitri back."

"Well it's not up to you to decide, is it?"

"No, it's not. It's up to you." I extend my hand to him, to help him up. Even If he doesn't take it, I will be there for him.

Dimitri closes his eyes and leans against the wall.

"Our losses make us who we are. You lost your father, but he taught you to be brave, and fight for what is right. You lost your friends, but they taught you to be loyal until the end. You lost Dedue, but he showed you that you sometimes need to sacrifice something in order to protect those you love." I take a breath. "And finally, you were betrayed and tortured by your lifelong friend and sibling, Edelgard. But that taught you to stay close to the people around you and never drift apart. That taught you to make more allies than enemies."

He looks up at me with something shining in his empty eyes.

And I realize he is crying.

"I'm not like you. I'm not strong enough. I can't get up from this failure. How am I supposed to fix this mess I've made?"

"We're all here to help you." And I turn my gaze to my outstretched hand.

"But I'm a monster," he whispers.

"We all are in some way."

And to my surprise, he takes my hand, and I pull him to his feet.

"Thank you." He murmurs, and we walk back to the dorms, him leaning heavily on my shoulder.

We all have some type of monster dwelling inside of us.

We don't get to choose how much we suffer.

But we can change how we defeat it.


End file.
